In the past few years Saudi Arabia has constructed the largest desalination plant in the world, the Ras-Al Khair desalination and power plant. The plant is located on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia and currently supplies drinking water to the Saudi capital of Riyadh as well as locations up to 300 miles away. At full capacity the plant can convert 1 billion cubic meters of saline seawater into filtered, drinkable water for the people of Saudi Arabia. On top of that, it uses the steam created during the desalination process to turn turbines that can generate up to 2,000 megawatts of electricity that power its operation and are put back onto the grid. The development of Ras Al-Khair is a result of the Saudi government’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and their plan for greater dependence on desalination in the future. Under the direction of the SWCC, Saudi Arabia has become the world’s largest producer of desalinated water; a decision that they hope will encourage economic opportunity and water security.
As I have discussed in my earlier abstracts, desalination is not the panacea to our world’s water woes. The sheer energy that it takes to flash boil water in order to remove salt and other ocean water impurities is far more than it takes in a conventional treatment plant – not to mention the environmental impacts of pumping high-salinity brine back into coastal ecosystems. However when it comes to politics and what any given country may want for themselves, the ability to bankroll huge projects can most likely decide what will actually be done. Saudi Arabia has adopted a somewhat brutish approach to their difficulties with water supply in a desert region. Their response to pour capital and oil resources into desalination is not the most efficient or economical solution, but it is a feasible solution for them. If it is any consolation for the environment at least they are using the steam to generate electricity when it would have been wasted otherwise
Al-Awsat, A. (2016, November 28). Saudi Arabia Inaugurates World’s Largest Desalination Plant. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://english.aawsat.com/theaawsat/business/saudi-arabia-inaugurates-worlds-largest-desalination-plant
You are clearly in the know on this hugely important issue Peter. Desalination is not the holy grail… unless I suppose you have unlimited energy to make it happen. What would you recommend for a place like Saudi Arabia to do? Seems like they have what I’m sure has been a historical challenge. Can’t drink oil.
You mentioned that this plant is non-conventional, What makes it different than other ones?
This plant processes water on a magnitude that the world has never seen before, traditionally desalination is carried out in advanced but small and localized plants much smaller than Ras-Al Khair
I was surprised to hear that the largest desalinization plant in the world is based in Saudi Arabia. Do you happen to know how all this clean water and energy are being distributed amidst the political/social turmoil in the Middle East? Seems like a powerful project that could have a lot of influence in the area.
Thanks for question Olivia, Saudi Arabia is actually a very stable country at the moment. They have an oil rich economy and a structured theocracy that as of now maintains peace in the region making them one of the United States’ strongest allies in the middle east. With their capital resources it is very easy for them to carry out public works projects and exert government influence with ease, unlike some other particularly unstable countries in the region.
I had a similar reaction to Olivia, and was wondering about how the Middle East plans to execute this. I hope it has positive feedback